Yep, I'm still here.
Myxobacteria and mycobacteria are not at all related. Dr. Blazer is a fish
health professional, and an expert particularly with fish bacteria, and the
article you quoted is correct.
I'm sure most people on the list have heard of columnaris disease? The
bacterium that is responsible for that disease is a member of Myxobacteria.
Columnaris is the most common bacterial disease which I see and it's
certainly easier to deal with than mycobacterial infections. Just dropping
the pH, increasing salinity, or decreasing the temperature is enough to
arrest a columnaris outbreak without using antibiotics.
I know hundreds of fish health professionals who are working on
mycobacterial infections in fishes, and there is no effective treatment.
It's important to remember that mycobacteria are not specific for fishes.
Any animal living in the environment where mycobacteria are found are
subject to mycobacterial infections.
Denise